Earthbound: The Attack of the Shadow Man
by The D.J. C.J
Summary: 2 years after Giyga's defeat, a new evil arises to conquer the world through a boy who also knows PSI. Can the Chosen Four defeat this strange boy? Epilogue up! Has what happened after the adventure, plus a song! And a special thanks to all reviewers!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer - I'm sorry I forgot this, this is my first story. I do not own any of the things mentioned here except possibly the boy who we can all guess who will become.  
  
  
  
  
  
EarthBound: The Attack of The Shadow Man  
  
Prologue: The Birth of the Shadow Man  
  
**The Scene: Road between Twoson and Onett**  
  
It has been 2 years since the defeat of Giygas.  
  
A young boy is walking towards Onett.  
  
He is hoping to see the boy who saved the entire world from being destroyed by the wrath of the Cosmic Destroyer Giygas. He had already heard about how this boy, with the help of three others, who together made the Chosen Four, defeated Giygas, and restored order to the world. He had heard of the Chosen Four, and already knew much about them.  
  
There was Poo, the young prince of Dalaam, a country far to the east. Although he seemed quite a bit different from the group, his service was invaluable. He knew many skills of the famed power known as PSI. One of the incredible PSI attacks he knew was a skill called PSI Starstorm. He was a great warrior.  
  
Then there was Jeff, the son of Dr. Andonuts, who lived in Winters. Dr. Andonuts was known around the world as a scientific genius. Although Jeff knew no skills of PSI, his invaluable help in fixing common, broken objects into very useful items and weapons. They had said he was shy, and not to good when battling, but he was brave, and ready to stand out for his friends. He was a noble fighter, and a noble friend.  
  
Then there was Paula, a young girl, who lived in Twoson, a city south to south-west of Onett. She was very skilled with the power of PSI. One of her more special attacks was PSI Freeze, which Poo also happens to know. Rumours however, had spread that there was a boy she secretly admired, and that boy happened to be the leader of the Chosen Four.  
  
He could never have forgotten who the leader of the Chosen Four was.  
  
The leader of the Chosen Four, was Ness, a young boy. He was extremely skilled in the arts of PSI, and he had heard that he had also had learned the arts of another psychic power called PK, which was only possible to learn by the most finest of PSI warriors. He remembered how Ness's journey had started when a meteorite landed near his house in Onett. Through that, the chain of events that had lead up to Giygas being destroyed.  
  
He marvelled at this young boy's power.  
  
All of a sudden, a huge shadow was cast over the sky. The boy looked up and saw what looked like an evil, black shadow. He realised what it was. An expression of horror slowly spread across his face. He tried to run for his life, but the black shadow caught up with him.  
  
Then both the boy and the shadow disappeared. 


	2. The Journey Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own Ness, PSI, Giygas, and any of those other things that are in Earthbound. I DO however, own the Shadow Man.  
  
Chapter 1: The Journey Begins.  
  
It was a normal day for Ness. He was in the house, playing his N64, which he bought somewhere around last year. He was having fun when he heard rapid knocks on the door. Automatically expecting what was going to happen, he jumped out his window, on the other side of the house, used his PSI to land safely, and started running before the reporters could catch up to him. He didn't want to use his PSI to stop them, again. This had happened ever since he had defeated Giygas. Reporters ALWAYS knocked at his door. 'Man, it's been two years since I defeated Giygas,' Ness thought while he was running, 'You'd think the news was old by now! You'd think they'd get it! I've got to get to the shelter, they can't find me there.'  
  
(A/N: I'm thinking the same thing Ness is at this present time.)  
  
He was running forward when he heard a voice behind him. "Where do you think you're going?" The voice said Ness turned around, expecting to see a reporter who got through, but instead, he saw someone much different. He saw a boy, but there was a darkness surrounding him, as if he was in shadow all his life. "I believe that we should have a fight." The boy said. "Listen," Ness said, "I don't have the time right now. See those reporters?" Ness pointed at the reporters, who were gaining their speed. "If I don't get away from them, I'll never be able to do anything for the fear of them. The boy simply smiled. He pointed at the reporters. All of a sudden, they stopped moving. He lifted his finger and blew them away into the horizon. Ness was horrified. "What did you do that for? I know I need to get rid of them, but not like THAT!!" The boy kept on smiling. "Well, young Ness. I hope you've brought yourself at the ready. "In fact, I haven't got my things to battle you with." "Very well then. I will wait here for you. Just remember, here, your journey begins." Using PSI Teleport Beta, he went to his house and got his things. He was ready for the battle that lied ahead. He went back to challenge the evil thing. "I see you are truthful. The Apple of Enlightment was not one to joke around." "How do you know about The Apple of Enlightment?" Ness wondered. "You will realise in the battle," The boy said. "Now, let us begin."  
  
***Battle Scene***  
  
Ness automatically whipped into action, jumping up and bashing the boy with his bat. It hurt him a bit, but not too much. The boy threw a punch at Ness, and he reeled back ward. In that time, he gave Ness an uppercut, and then slammed him into a nearby pole. That had to hurt. Still, Ness kept on fighting, realising the dark aura around the boy. After a while of bashing and being bashed, Ness decided that it was time to bring out the heavy magic. Ness concentrated, and then yelled "PSI Rockin' OMEGA!!" The balls of energy went out to hit the man. He simply smiled, raised his hand and said "PSI Bullets Alpha!" Although they were only at Alpha stage, they somehow easily stopped Ness's PSI Rockin'. Ness started to get a bit worried. He then had an idea, and yelled, "PK Flash Sigma!" Although that did not defeat the Shadow Man, it did make him feel a bit strange. The boy was acting a bit unusual. He threw a punch at Ness, but accidentally hit himself! He then felt quite a bit normal. In that time however, Ness had had time to charge up another PSI Rockin' Omega, and threw it at the boy. The boy did not have time to stop the attack, and it hit him head on. The boy could not go on any further. He fell to the ground, unable to attack back. Ness had won!  
  
***End Battle Scene***  
  
After the battle, Ness turned to walk away. But at the same time he heard a moaning voice. He turned around and the boy was writhing in pain. His screams cut the silent night as though his insides were leaving him. Suddenly, a huge black mist arose out of the boy. All Ness could do was look at it in shock! The darkness surrounding the boy had left. "Ness," The boy moaned, "He has returned. The Chosen Four must reunite!" Before he could say anything else though, the black mist went back into the boy, to control him once again. "Ness!" The boy said, with his evil once again, "We shall meet again. Do not forget. I am the Shadow Man! I will come back, and I will defeat you! PK Warp!" The boy disappeared, leaving Ness wondering, 'Who is 'he'? Who is this Shadow Man?'. Then Ness shook it off. "Well," Ness said to himself, "Those can wait until later. Right now, I've got another mission to accomplish! 


	3. ReMeeting Paula

Disclaimer - I do not own any of the Earthbound Cast and Earthbound props mentioned, but I do own the Shadow Man  
  
Chapter 3: Re-Meeting Paula  
  
It was the day after Ness had defeated the Shadow Man. And also the day today was the day when Ness had to reunite the Chosen Four, even though he wasn't certain how he was supposed to tell anyone, if they would believe him. The only way they would trust him is through one who can read minds. And there was only one person he knew who could do that. That person was Paula. She had the power of telepathy, so she would certainly know Ness was not lying. He looked outside the window. He had about a second to realise it was snowing before a well aimed snowball hit him directly in the face. "Don't do that, Tracy!" Ness shouted out at her. Tracy just smiled and gave a grin about the width of her face. Tracy was Ness's younger sister, and looked after his prized possessions (A/N: Either she's very trustworthy, or Ness is crazy) on his last adventure. Ness also was not going to be beaten. He sat down underneath the window, used his PSI to make a big snowball and threw it at Tracy. "Haha! Who's the smart-alec now?! "That was mean!" Tracy replied "It was also the best way to say, 'And here's a snowball for you too!' After that, Tracy remained silent for a while. Then she added. "You're going on another adventure, aren't you? Ness was dumbfounded. "How on earth did you know?" "I've probably inherited that PHD or SIE or something like that from you." "Well, needless to say, I'm going as soon as I've changed. You'll tell Mom and Dad I said goodbye?" "Sure thing." Soon enough, Ness changed. Using PSI Teleport Beta, he teleported to Twoson. He could see Polestar Preschool from here, and he could only just see things flying. He guessed there was a snowball fight. He decided to surprise Paula for once. He secretly crept around to the back of Polestar, because no-one could see him there, he used his PSI and silently landed on the roof. He had gathered a bit of snow already, and was looking for Paula. Once he saw her, he hurled the snowball. Paula was already playing with the kids from Polestar Preschool and didn't realise there was someone on the roof. Then she had a snowball land in the back of her head. She looked around. "O.K, which one of you kids hit me?" She looked behind her. There was no-one there. Ness was silently laughing to himself. Paula still didn't understand who hit her. Ness silently jumped down into the snow and lobbed another snowball at Paula. She looked behind her, but Ness quickly hid, and she didn't see. However, she did walk around to see who was hitting her. Quickly, Ness ran to the other side of the house. "O.K," Paula said, "Which one of you pranksters are hitting me this time?" "Things are not as they always seem." A voice behind her said, and as she looked around, she had no time to see who it was, as another snowball hit her in the face. "Hahaha. Very funny. Now which of you kids hit me?" Paula said as she cleared the snow from her face. But she was in for a surprise when she finished clearing the snow. "Ness?!" Paula said, wild with shock. "Who else were you expecting, Santa Claus?" Paula pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She wasn't. Standing in front of her, was Ness. "I can't believe it! It really is you!" She hugged Ness, oblivious to the fact the kids had gathered round. "Mm, mm, mm mmmm mm mmmmmmm?!" (Translation: O.K, O.K, now would you please get off of me?!" Understanding, Paula let go. "Paula, I want to tell you something. There's another adventure unfolding itself. I don't want to stop you having a fun time, but I had to tell you." Ness said. "I understand." Paula replied. Paula explained to the kids, and then her parents, that she had to go on another adventure. They understood, and her parents gave her permission to go. But still, all of the Chosen Four had to be reunited. Their next step was Winters, where they could find Jeff. 


	4. Bringing Jeff into the Group Part 1

Disclaimer - I do not own anything that is related with Earthbound. That is the disclaimer. Have a good day.  
  
Chapter 3: Bringing Jeff Into The Group (Part 1)  
  
After spending a few days at Polestar, where he helped Paula look after the little kids, they left with PSI Teleport Beta. They landed right in the middle of Snow Woods Boarding Dorm, where Jeff lived.or used to live anyway. There was no sign of Jeff anywhere in there. They talked to Tony. "Tony!" Ness shouted, hoping to catch his attention. They obviously managed to catch Tony's attention because he turned around and walked back to the group. "You wanted me for something?" Tony said. "We need to know where Jeff is. Have you seen him?" Ness asked. "Jeff went back to live with his father, at the lab. That's probably where they are." Tony replied. "Thanks a bunch Tony!" "No problem." After that, they set off through the masses of very weak monsters. Gaining experience for the fight was good. They were going to need all the experience they could get. Soon after going through the huge cave that held Rainy Circle, they reached the lab. Deciding to choose a less surprising arrival, they simply knocked on the door. "Jeff and I have decided to live in Saturn Valley. We're waiting for you, Ness. From, Dr. John Andonuts, and Dr. Jeff Andonuts  
  
(A/N: Yes, I made up the name John, I couldn't think of anything better at the time. Who here knows what his real name is?)  
  
Ness smacked his forehead. "How could I have forgotten?" Then he sighed. "Well, I guess we've got to transport to Saturn Valley." After that, and when we get Poo, I'm gonna take a long rest. Paula secretly smiled. Ness (AGAIN) used PSI Teleport Beta to get to Saturn Valley. They looked around. There was nobody there. No Mr. Saturn's. No Jeff. No Dr. Andonuts. Ness started to worry. "Have they been taken by the Shadow Man?" Ness thought, worrying as he thought it, "I'll never forgive him if he's got them." He started worrying more and more, and he couldn't find them. He went in every house. They had been searching everywhere and night-time was falling. When they were looking in a cave, just as Ness had lost all hope, everyone jumped out from their hiding space and shouted "SURPRISE!" with a few "BOING!" sounds from the Mr. Saturns. The shock of it was just too much. Ness fainted.  
  
(A/N: This is the first part. I know this is not one of my best chapters, but I'm not in my best righting mode today, so please excuse me is this chapter is not very good. After getting Poo in the group, things will start to get better. I may change this chapter later when I'm in my best writing mood. Peace to everyone! Please Review!) 


	5. Bringing Jeff into the Group Part 2

Disclaimer - Same as previous chapters, but will repeat. I, The D.J. C.J, do not own any of the following characters from the game Earthbound. But I do have full copyrights over the Shadow Man.  
  
Chapter 4: Bringing Jeff Into the Group (Part 2)  
  
Ness flickered his eyes "Hey guys, I think he's starting to regain consciousness!" A voice said. "I guess we shouldn't have startled him that much." Another voice said. "BOING! Don't worry! Ness be fine! ZOOM!" Another voice said. Ness slowly opened his eyes. He looked around. "Where.where am I?" he said, rather groggily. "You're in Dr. Saturn's room, in Saturn Valley." A voice told him. It was an all too familiar voice. "Jeff!" Ness could only just contain his excitement. "But, why did you scare me like that? "Well, we wanted to give you guys a surprise, but it looks like we gave you TOO MUCH of a surprise." "That explains everything." Ness replied. "So Ness, where are you going this time?" Another all too familiar voice said. "As soon as I regain my strength, I should be teleporting to Dalaam, Dr. Andonuts. And by the way, I never knew your first name was John."  
  
(A/N: Repeat, it isn't, I just made it up.)  
  
".Neither did I." confessed a worried looking Dr. Andonuts. A sweatdrop the size of Canada (figuratively) ran down the back of Ness's head at this time. "But we don't need to worry about that right now. Come outside, there's something I want to show you." Ness and his friends walked outside, and stood before.the Phase Distorter 3. "So.what's so new about it?" Ness asked. It looked like the same old Phase Distorter 3. "This.is the Phase Distorter 3." He looked seemingly worried at that comment. ".point 5!" A huge sweatdrop ran down the back of his neck at this statement. "The Phase Distorter 3.5 is exactly like the Phase Distorter 3."  
  
Ness almost went mad at that comment. ".except THIS time, it can transport to any place, any time, any WHATEVER, and can carry life on board!" Ness relaxed at this comment. "Why don't you take it to Dalaam? Come on in, I'll show you." Ness, Paula, Jeff, Dr. Andonuts, and one of the Mr. Saturn's went inside to show them around. Just as they were about to go, a huge crash of lightning sounded. Then a voice spoke out loud. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! These weak Mr. Saturn's cannot do anything to save themselves! Mwahahahaha! Ness! I know you're out there, somewhere! So remember, the only way you're going to rescue the Mr. Saturn's is by defeating me! But I'd like to see you try! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! PSI Warp! Then the crashes stopped. Our heroes walked outside, and what they saw was bitter. There was not a single Mr. Saturn (apart from the one that went into the spaceship) left in the entire Saturn Valley! Ness moaned, as he said to himself, "Oh man, we're in for it now. The Shadow Man's stolen all the Mr. Saturns! Why me? Sometimes I wish I could just be an ordinary kid. Paula said, "I know." Ness was amazed that she'd heard him, but then wasn't too surprised. And he was too worried and a little tired to talk anyway. There was only one way that the group would be saved. And that was with the help of Poo. Jeff was about to start the Phase Distorter 3.5 when he heard a bang on the door. He opened it and in rushed the Mr. Saturn and Dr. Andonuts. "BOING! Me want to help Ness! Zoom!" The Mr. Saturn said, jumping about. "I wish to join you as well Ness, perhaps I can learn something, and maybe even help you." Ness shrugged. "Why not? Come on guys, get on, Jeff just about has this thing started up! Our five heroes got in the Phase Distorter 3.5. Then it vanished, teleporting to Dalaam. 


	6. A Story told by Prince Poo

Thanks to The Review Guy for reviewing this story.  
  
Disclaimer - Yes, this is again the same as previous chapters, except I add that I own the Princess as well. Although I'm not sure whether I FULLY accept that.hmmm.  
  
Chapter 5: A Story told by Prince Poo (Prince Poo joins the group in this chapter, if it wasn't obvious.)  
  
Ness took a glimpse outside a window. It was made of the finest glass, and would not pull off. He had about a second to see what time and space looked like.  
  
(A/N: This is what I believe time and space would look like, not Ness's beliefs, mainly because I don't KNOW Ness's beliefs)  
  
It seemed to look like a dark, dark purple void, almost black, but just purple. There were a hundreds of sparkles. Ness guessed that these must be the entries to other times and spaces. The void never seemed to end, and never seemed to begin. It looked like an endless void. However, Ness didn't really have time to sort these thoughts into order, as before he knew it, they were in Dalaam, just next to the castle, also, just missing some ladies there. "Hey! Watch where you're landing Mister! We still want to live you know!" Then they saw who actually came out. "Ah! Master Ness! And your friends! Why is it that you seek out our peaceful country of Dalaam? "Miss, I wish to ask where the location of Prince Poo would happen to be. Would you know?" Ness asked the ladies. "Ah, I wish I did. But only Prince Poo's master knows where he is. He has not been seen for the whole day. I'm sure the master knows where he is." They replied. "Very well. Thank you for your information." They walked off. Ness whispered to Jeff, "Boy, I hate talking like that." Soon coming before the Master, Ness asked where Prince Poo would be. "Ah, Young Ness. I normally wouldn't tell anyone, but since you're here, maybe you can help. A few days ago, the Princess disappeared. "Wait a minute." Ness said, wondering, "When was there a Princess? I thought there was only a Prince. "I know. We had to hide her, due to the fact that the minions of Giygas could kill her. After you defeated Giygas, she has come out of hiding. But now she has been stolen. Prince Poo has been in a sad condition for weeks. Maybe you three.or five.could help him?" "Well," said Paula, "I can freeze him so he can't move should he try to strangle us." "Paula," Jeff replied, "that had to be the lamest joke I ever heard." Paula raised her hands threatingly "But it was still funny." Jeff replied with a squeak in his voice. "Good." Ness shuddered. "Boy," he thought, "that Paula can have a real bad temper at times. Poo's master showed them to the Prince's room. Poo's Master knocked on the door. "Prince Poo? There are some visitors who wish to see you." "Sniff." a voice said from the room, "Tell them.sniff.I'm busy." "It's us!!!" Ness almost shouted! "Remember us?! Ness, Paula, Jeff?!?!" "Boy," Paula thought, "that Ness can really go crazy at times. "Ness? Paula? Jeff? I am sorry, I didn't realise it was you. Please come in." Prince Poo opened the door. He seemed to have been in sorrow for quite a while. You could tell by his face. "Poo, we are planning to go on another adventure, and we need your help." Ness told Poo. "I am afraid I cannot join you this time. My sister, the Princess, has been kidnapped. I could only sense a dark aura around him. I did not see exactly who he was." Suddenly, a flashback went through Ness's mind.  
  
(From Chapter 1): "Ness turned around, expecting to see a reporter who got through, but instead, he saw someone much different. He saw a boy, but there was a darkness surrounding him, as if he was in shadow all his life."  
  
"Ness? Are you alright?" Poo asked. "Huh?" Ness said, waking up from his flashback. It took a few seconds for what Poo had asked to sink in. "Oh yeah, I'm alright. Listen Poo, I have to tell you something. "What?" Poo asked. ".This is all connected." "WHAT?!" Poo said, amazed. "The man that kidnapped the Princess also kidnapped a bunch of Mr. Saturn's. Is that right?" "Now that you mention it," Poo said, in thought, "I DO believe I saw a few Mr. Saturn's. Or glimpses of them anyway." "This is the exact man we're trying to find. I battled him. Although he is powerful, he can be defeated. He is The Shadow Man. This is the reason we're going, not only to defeat him, but to save the Mr. Saturn's and now he's kidnapped your Princess, so we must save her as well." "Very well," Poo said, "I will join you." And then, our now six heroes joined the cause. "Ah, Prince Poo," the Master said, "You are alright." "Yes, and I'm afraid I'm going on another adventure." "I'm sure it is to save the princess. You may go. May the gods aid you!" "Thank you, Master." Poo replied, ending the conversation. Then our heroes exited the castle. Just as they were about to get in, a crash of lightning sounded. "That's odd." Jeff said, "There shouldn't be lightning anywhere today." "Aren't you forgetting something?" A cold, evil voice sounded behind him. Our heroes turned around. It was the Shadow Man. "HELP!" A shrill voice sounded behind him. "Princess!" Poo shouted. "I don't know who you are," he told the Shadow Man, "but you're going down!" "I am the Shadow Man. And also, I am afraid it is YOU who is going down. "Dr. Andonuts, stay out of this, you too Mr. Saturn! "Very well. We shall stay back." Then as a second crash of lightning sounded, our heroes rushed to the battle.  
  
And so, the battle began.  
  
(A/N: I hope this is going well. The next chapter should be pretty good, with a small surprise. Please Review, one review can make me go on! Please!) 


	7. The Confrontation with the Shadow Man

Disclaimer - In this story, I own the Shadow Man and the Princess. I own nothing else. However, I may work for Nintendo someday.*starts fantasizing*.huh? Oh, on with the story.  
  
To all readers, if anyone has been waiting for a good battling chapter, this is the one. I promise I will pour in as much effort with this chapter as possible.  
  
Chapter 7: Confrontation with the Shadow Man  
  
**From Chapter 6: "Princess!" Poo shouted. "I don't know who you are," he told The Shadow Man, "but you're going down!" "I am the Shadow Man. And also, I am afraid it is YOU who is going down. "Dr. Andonuts, stay out of this, you too Mr. Saturn!" Ness shouted backwards, to the two. "Very well. We shall stay back." Replied Dr. Andonuts Then as a second crash of lightning sounded, our heroes rushed to the battle.  
  
And so, the battle began.  
  
**End Flashback.**  
  
"Shadow Man, you're going down!" Ness shouted. "Very well. Let the battle begin." Replied the Shadow Man.  
  
***Battle Scene***  
  
The Shadow Man knew that fighting with hands was pointless. Instead, he decided to use his PSI. He put two fingers to his head, as if he were charging an energy ball on his head. He was, but it didn't look like one. As he charged it got so big he balanced it on one finger. It was fairly small compared to the major damage he could dish out, but still something powerful. After charging further, the Shadow Man pointed his finger with the energy attack in it and yelled "PSI Starball Alpha!" Even Jeff could sense the insane power, and the party dodged the attack with time to see it whirl off into the sky. Ness instantly concentrated his energy into a ball and retaliated by yelling "PSI Rockin' Omega!". Although it hit, it didn't seem to hurt him too much. Ness realized he'd been under intense training, but he never realized just how intense that training had been. Paula concentrated her energy as tightly as possible, then threw out her hands, yelling "PSI Freeze Omega!" Although it was as tightly powerful as possible, it hurt him just as much as Ness's blast had, which wasn't too much. Jeff fired a shot from his Gaia beam, and that hardly scratched him. Even Poo's PSI Starstorm Omega didn't take him down. He smiled. Concentrating, he yelled, "PSI Bullets Beta!" Instantly, a huge barrage of small bullet like energy blasts started being shot at the group, but what was odd was that they were also being made to rain down on our heroes. It hurt like heck. It was time for a plan. Jeff dodged behind the Shadow Man, and shot a few times. They stung just enough for him to whirl around and throw a bullet at him. Jeff dodged around and around and around, all the while shooting. The Shadow Man kept throwing energy at him, all the while unaware of what damage he was about to receive. All the while, Ness, Paula and Poo had been charging up their most powerful attacks. At just the right time, a few revolutions and a half, when Jeff was safely in front of the Shadow Man, they released their attacks. "PSI ROCKIN' OMEGA!" "PSI FREEZE OMEGA! "PSI STARSTORM OMEGA!" The Shadow Man only had just enough time to see them coming before he was taken down with the full force of all the combined force. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" He screamed as he was taken down.  
  
***End Battle Scene***  
  
"YES!" Ness shouted! "We did it! We took down the Shadow Man. Jeff than looked up at the sky. "Hmmm, I wonder why it hasn't stopped?" he thought. Then he looked behind him, and his face instantly changed to one of horror. "Uh, Ness." he said, tapping Ness on the shoulder. "Nice try, Jeff," Ness said, far from being convinced, "You're not going to make me look." "Ness." Jeff replied with more worry. "I'm still not looking."  
  
"NESS!!! BEHIND YOU!!!" "Alright." Ness looked behind him. There standing, in the full, was the Shadow Man, standing in the flesh. ".Oh no.he's back?!" Ness shouted, ready to go insane with worry. "Yes," replied the Shadow Man in his cold, icy voice. "And this time, I've got a special little surprise. I thought it was only you 4, so I wouldn't have to worry, but obviously, it looks like that's going to change, along with your luck!"  
  
The Shadow Man then started gathering up all the energy he could possibly carry, getting insanely powerful. All Ness and his friends could do was stare in horror. Soon afterwards, he yelled words that would make him a remembered legend. "PSI CHARGE ALPHA!!" Theses words echoed through the night. And then, absolute power came surging through his every vein, and every muscle, and his PSI was overflowing with energy! Ness and his friends were amazed! How he could gather so much power was beyond them, but they had only one choice, to fight.  
  
***Battle Scene 2*** Ness swung his baseball bat at the Shadow Man, but it did hardly any real damage. Paula charged up a PSI Freeze OMEGA, but it did hardly any real damage, Jeff even shot him with a Big Bottle Rocket, and he still wasn't damaged. Poo used a PSI Starstorm Omega attack, but even THAT didn't hurt him much. Charging up as far as he could, he yelled, "PSI STARBALL BETA!". Immediately, our heroes jumped out of the way, and the ball was shot, only just missing them (by about 5 mm) !!! The cycle went on and on and on, and nothing was happening. They dodged with success, but they weren't hurting the Shadow Man. They did try their special trick (see 1st battle scene) where Jeff shot, dodged, while they charged up their most powerful attacks, but that still didn't work as well as it could, because though it injured him, it didn't quite do it hard enough. 'We can't dodge forever.' Ness thought, starting to get worried, 'He'll hit us eventually, and we'll all be dead. But if we die, then so do the other countless people who have nothing to do with this."  
  
And starting to pile up with rage over the many people who would be killed, he charged up the ultimate attack. Paula, Jeff and Poo, were quite startled by the power, and all they could do was watch. Even the Shadow Man was startled at this, but simply charged up another PSI Starball Beta and pelted it at him, but Ness was too quick. He put out his hands and yelled 'PSI Super Rockin' Alpha!'. It met face to face with the Shadow Man's PSI Starball Beta, and so a great pushing game began. Although both their blasts were not countable in the power they contained, the Shadow Man was, little by little, winning the war. Paula suddenly used her PSI Freeze Omega to push back the PSI Starball Beta. Poo followed suit and used a PSI Starstorm attack to help push back. There was only one thing he could do. While everyone was occupied, he snuck around, and shot the Shadow Man. Although not injured, he lost his grip on the powers, and all of these energy attacks rushed towards him. Slamming into him with full force, he was catapulted backwards.  
  
***End Battle Scene 2***  
  
And guess what? The Shadow Man still survived, although he couldn't fight in this form. "If you think I'm finished," the Shadow Man said, "You're horribly mistaken. I can go further." But no-one was looking at him, they were looking up. Something was coming down with incredible force. The Shadow Man had only just time to look before he was pinned down to the floor by a huge.robot leg? Everyone took a look at this. You could tell they were all surprised. But when the person who was controlling the ship came out, they were even MORE surprised. For guess who it was? ".Pokey?!"  
  
(A/N: Yes, a cliffhanger! You'll all have to wait for me to write the next chapter before you find what Pokey's doing here. But what I can tell you is that there will be a big (if you haven't guessed it already) surprise!) 


	8. Why the Heck is Pokey here?

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the Shadow Man, and the Princess (who I have yet to name).  
  
Chapter 8: Why The Heck Is Pokey Here?!  
  
Ness was probably the one who mostly didn't believe it when Pokey showed up. He was just standing there gaping. After a while Ness managed to regain his senses, and asked Pokey, "Why the heck are you here? We don't need someone else to battle now." "Yeah, yeah, I know, you think I'm coming to kick your butt, when I'm in reality coming to help you, it's no surprise to me." Just then, if they could have been any more shocked, they were. Ness managed to gag out, ".HELP?!?!?" "Yup," Pokey said, oblivious to the fact that Ness was nearly gaping for air, "Why should I come here? Well let me tell you the story.  
  
(A/N: This is going to be a long story, which dates all the way between the two year interlude)  
  
".It started after you defeated Giygas. True to my word, I did teleport to another era to think about my plans for defeating you lot. It seemed that I had only transported to 1 year in the future (my craft must have low on fuel or something) and I saw a black mist, surrounded by whiteness. I had a look at what it was, and then it spoke to me. It said, "You.are Pokey. I.am Trigas. Take me.to my brother.". It seemed to be able to speak English much better than Giygas. "Tell me about yourself first!" I yelled into the mist. "I see.you will not.harm me.if I.tell you.I am Trigas, Giygas' older brother.Giygas is a Cosmic Destroyer.I am a Universal Destroyer.I wish to see my older brother. When I find him, I will fuse with him, and my power.will be incredible. Take me.to my brother.". I yelled out, "I hate to say this, but your brother is dead. The Apple of Enlightment's prophecy came true, and your brother was destroyed by the Chosen Ones." It suddenly went into a rage of fury. "They.will.pay.take me.to the Chosen One's.I will.destroy them.". I thought that this would be useful, since at that time, I still wanted to destroy you. I yelled out, "I am sorry, but the best I can take you is two years from when Giygas was destroyed, which is one year from now. Will you accept my offer?". Trigas shifted around, and then just thought for a while. Then he said, "I.will accept.your offer.Giygas.may still.be alive.". I couldn't believe it! If Giygas was alive, this was may big chance to get back. So we came into this year, and somehow, I aged 2 years, which is why I am two years older. We explored, and somewhere, lost in this strange place where we were, we heard a moan. Unbelievably, it was Giygas, who was still alive. "Ness.must have.Ness.must.kill.Ness." he moaned. Trigas just grinned and said, "Brother, we must become one, so that we may defeat the Chosen Ones." Unexpectedly, Giygas spurted out, "No.I am.a Cosmic.Destroyer.I am a single entity.I will not fuse with you." You could tell Trigas was in a rage, but he remained calm. "Very well, I will take somebody else in your place. Hopefully, they will be able to help me defeat Ness." Then Trigas looked at me, speaking, "Look after Giygas.". Then it disappeared. However, who wants to watch an old Cosmic Destroyer? I wanted action, so I headed out here, and apparently, I've nailed some guy right under my ship. So that's what's happened to me so far."  
  
***The Story ends***  
  
Ness tells Pokey their story (I'm not writing seven chapters for one chapter), and Pokey seems to smile. "Well, seeing we're both after Trigas, I guess, I'll do something that I'm gonna regret later, and help you defeat this dude, so I can heal Giygas. Before Ness could do anything, The Shadow Man smiled. "You need not look for Trigas. I am him. I would battle you, but my human form is weak. Pokey Minch, you will regret this, when I next see you." Then The Shadow Man/Trigas disappeared. "Oh, well this is just wonderful," Jeff said, quite annoyed, "This Shadow Man guy is actually Trigas, a Universal Destroyer, Trigas is gaining power as we speak and to top it all off, Giygas is STILL alive?! What next?" Just then it starts raining, and everyone glares at Jeff. "What?" Jeff said, worried. Well, I guess since we've got the Chosen Four, the only thing we can do is head for Giygas' land, so we can defeat him and Trigas'.  
  
This is the End of Chapter 8! Did you like it, or do you think this whole story stinks? Review and tell me! I accept flames!! Anything!!! Just PLEASE REVIEW!! 


	9. The Search for Triga's Base

Disclaimer - I do not own anything except the Shadow Man and the Princess. The rest are trademarks of Nintendo, APE and Halken.  
  
Thanks to everyone for reviewing. I feel so happy! (  
  
Chapter 9: The search for Trigas' base  
  
Ness, Paula, Jeff, Poo, Dr. Andonuts, Mr. Saturn, the Princess AND Pokey have banded together to save the world (Pokey wants to save Giygas anyway, Trigas he doesn't care about) from the wrath of Trigas. Now all they have to do is find the Shadow Man, since Trigas has taken him over (which we found out last chapter), get Trigas out of him, and destroy Trigas and Giygas. The only problem is no one has any idea where Trigas is. Just then Ness' receiver phone called. "Hello?" he spoke into the phone. The result was blurry, ".Onett.under.attack.help.us." then it just cut off. "Oh, this is just wonderful! Onett is under attack by Trigas minions. Now what?" Ness asked, quite worried, yet angry. "We go down there and take out whoever's sending those minions, that's what!" Paula said, and Jeff added, "Besides, the meteorite might be able to help us find where Trigas is." "You're both right! Back to Onett we go! PSI Teleport Beta!" After spinning around a few times, they made a rush with such speed, that they seemed to float on air at the speed of light. This was the PSI Teleport Beta. After landing in the town centre of Onett, it was nighttime, but in the same case, they were a lot of monsters hanging around. At exactly the wrong time, Ness' receiver phone rang again. "Yes?" Ness asked into the phone, waiting for an answer. "Come.to.Town.Hall." the phone cut off before it could finish. But the voice sounded like B.H.Pirkle, Mayor of Onett. What would he want? What would anyone want with him? "We've got to go to the town hall. Looks like Pirkle want something." Ness told his friends, they did, but the way was guarded. They had to slash their way through monster after monster after monster to get to the town hall. But the last monster they faced was quite unexpected. B.H.Pirkle himself. "Yes! I managed to drag you here to save me, but you're going to have to do better! Now let's bring the smack-down!" Looks like Ness and his friends were going up against B.H.Pirkle.  
  
***Battle Scene*** Ness swung his baseball bat at Pirkle, causing him to lose quite a bit of H.P. Paula used a PSI Freeze attack and not only damaged Pirkle, but also caused him to be frozen solid. Jeff shot his Gaia beam, which broke the freeze but damaged him, and Poo used a PSI Starstorm Alpha. That damaged Pirkle enough to cause him to fall on the floor, out. But before they could celebrate, Captain Strong came on for the battle. However Ness already knew how to defeat him best. Though it took a lot of PP from him, he used a PSI Rockin' Omega attack, and Cap. Strong was out too. ***End Battle Scene***  
  
(A/N: Yes I know it's a short battle scene, but it's against two of the weak characters of the game, what did you expect? They're not very strong compared to how strong the gang is. Don't worry, better battle scenes will come (I sure hope). )  
  
B.H.Pirkle looked like an idiot sitting there on the floor. Looks like Trigas had made a bad choice in trying to take him. Pirkle suddenly regained consciousness. He looked around and saw Ness. He just got up and almost hugged Ness, but Ness stepped back and he hugged the floor instead. "Ness! Tell me you're here to help!" Pirkle half begged, "I was taken over by some thing called Trigas, and I couldn't help but attack you!" . "I know," Ness said, "It's already happened." "Trigas told me something that I mustn't tell you, because it would help you in your journey to defeat him. He said that if I needed backup, to call into the meteorite." "Gee, thanks!" Ness said, before rushing out the door.  
  
(A/N: This might not be the best of chapters, but better will come.)  
  
End of Chapter 9. Do you like my story or not? Please Review! That's all I ask! 


	10. The Call into the Meteorite

Disclaimer- I own nothing in this except the Shadow Man, Trigas has probably already been thought up by some guy, but I'm not sure whom.  
  
Thanks to everyone that reviewed, but to Masboy11, I doubt any of that 'admiration' will come out. It just doesn't seem to cross with me anymore. It MIGHT come near the end of the story (I doubt it though). And to Aurin Taco: I'll make sure to do that this time.  
  
Chapter 10: The Call into the Meteorite.  
  
Ness wearily trudged out of the town hall. He needed to get to the nearest inn. Although it seemed like he had to slash through were infinite. He finally managed to slash through enough monsters to safely be able to go to sleep in the inn. Ness, Paula, Jeff, Poo, the Princess, Pokey, Mr. Saturn and Dr. Andonuts were finally able to get to sleep in the inn.  
  
A few hours passed, and midnight descended upon the night. Ness, quite full of energy, had got up, still in his pyjamas, to get a glass of water, so he could sleep better. Just then, he saw a shadow cross in the hall. A menacing shadow. He thought this would be a monster, so he got dressed, got his baseball bat, and followed the shadow, as it went around a corner into the room. He silently walked to the room and open the door.  
  
He just had enough time to walk in and close the door before he realised just how much trouble he was in. There, almost being lined from wall to wall was a huge bunch of monsters. Ness tried to bash them with his baseball bat, but to no avail, the beasts seemed only to brush aside the attack. Then, before he could do anything, the beast descended on him, and the lights went out. Ness just had enough time to feel something jump on him before his lights went out. When the lights came back on, Ness was lying there unconscious. Unaware of what was happening. The monster the shadow belonged to slung Ness on his shoulder and walked off.  
  
When morning came, it seemed Paula was the first one to wake up. She got dressed, and then went over to Ness' bed. "Good mor." she started, before realising Ness wasn't there. "Hmm." she thought, "I wonder where Ness is?"  
  
She had a look around the room, and it seemed like Ness wasn't anywhere. Everyone was asleep. She had a look around some of the rooms, and realised that Ness wasn't anywhere. Then she went into a room. The same room Ness went in where he was captured. She had a look around, and as she was about to exit, she noticed something strange on the floor. Blood. Red blood. Human blood. Paula's mind was racing with about 50 questions. Just then, something shattered all those questions, and she heard a calling, in her mind. (A/N: Telepathy, obviously). ".Help." the voice seemed to call. "Who are you?!" Paula replied, hoping her telepathy would reach the person that was calling her. It did, of course (A/N: We weren't expecting that, were we? *sarcastic tone in voice*). ".Call.into the.meteorite.I need help.please." the voice seemed to be getter weaker and weaker until the voice simply cut off. At the end of this statement, Paula had figured out who it was. Her mind was screaming so loud every bone in her body woke up instantly. But all that could come out of her mouth was a feeble cry. ".Ness." she managed to utter. Paula instantly charged into the room yelling, "NESS IS GONE!!!"  
  
Nobody woke up, or weren't yelling. After all, you'd want your beauty sleep, wouldn't you? A snarl came over Paula's face. She wrung out her Holy Frying Pan and. WHANG! WHANG! WHANG! Everybody woke up to the whanging of Paula's frying pan, mainly because they'd all been hit in the face with it. Then Paula, seeming to have gone completely insane with worry, just said, "Nesshasbeencapturedweneedtosavehim!!" Pokey just stood there and looked utterly confused. "What the.?" he asked as he was trying to make sense of what was happening. Paula was still anxious. "ComeonyouslowpokesgetupNessneedsourhelp!!!" "I believe," Jeff translated, "that she was trying to say that Ness has been captured, and she wants us to hurry up and get going to the meteorite." "We should go," said Dr. Andonuts, "After all, he is our friend, and there is no point in delaying a rescue." "And besides," Mr. Saturn stated, "I don't want to be hit in the face with her frying pan again!"  
  
Sooner or later, after slashing through more monsters, our heroes reached the meteorite. They were bashed and bruised, but a bit of healing PSI and some PSI recovery gadgets and thingamabobs settled that easily. "Well," Poo remarked, "It is time to save our friend." Then Paula called into the meteorite, "Please, help us! Paula and her friends have found us and are chasing us! We need sanctuary. The meteorite seemed to shift, as if it were thinking. Then it stood still. Paula prayed her luck would hold. It did. The meteorite seemed to start glowing with power. Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck out and shot each of our heroes. They started shrinking within the bolt until they could go straight in to the meteorite itself. Our heroes seemed to fall down through endless worlds of colour, and strange blackness, and many strange walls. The worlds had been distorted! It seemed like in the mix between the real world and the world of the meteorite, everything had become disillusioned. And before anyone realised what had just happened, they landed on top of a ledge, and this ledge was above lots of enemy soldiers.  
  
(A/N: YES! A cliff-hanger! So how our are our seven heroes going to make it through and rescue Ness without being pummelled? Wait for the next chapter, and maybe you'll find out. 


	11. Descent into Evil's Domain

Disclaimer - I own the Shadow Man and the Princess.I think.  
  
Sorry for the (EXTREMELY EXTREMELY EXTREMELY) long delay, but I think I'll try to continue this now.  
  
Chapter 11: Descent Into Evil's Domain  
  
"How can we get past those enemy soldiers?" Jeff asked. "There's way to many." "I believe I'll get out of here with a PSI Farewell." Poo started, before Paula glared daggers and death at him. "I was kidding! I was kidding! Sheesh.as a matter of fact, I might be able to do something.Dr. Andonuts, how far down the road are they?" "Hmmm.apparently, they're all gathered in a two meter diameter from here." "Then I might just be able to pull this off." He then kneels into a praying position and starts murmuring to himself. "Ghosts of the Ancestral Spirit of the line of royal reign, for a while, please halt the passage of time, for these people must stop for my save!" Poo chanted Sparkles went down, and all the soldiers below were stopped dead in their tracks. "A Time Stop Passage. Useful. Quickly, let's get out of here, they can only stop them for a while." They quickly jumped off the ledge, and ran through a passage, while dodging through the guards, until they turned a corner, and then time flowed normally. "Nuts!" Poo hammered a fist into a palm. "Time flows normally, and I don't have the strength to do it again. We'll have to fight the other guards." "Fine, as long as Ness is safe." Paula said, then charged forward, whanging anything that got in her way sideways with the Holy Frying Pan. "Yowch." said Jeff. ".that'll hurt next week!". The others were running after Paula like crazy. The extent of seeing Ness had made her go completely berserk, as minor guards were whacked sideways, then finished off by some sort of weapon from the group running after her. Suddenly, two hulking figures towered in front of her. Even she couldn't whack THESE sideways. She had to stand and fight. The major guards towered over her, and the group caught up, ready to stand and fight.  
  
***Battle Scene*** 1 of the major guards threw a fist into Paula's stomach, knocking her sideways. She used PSI Freeze Omega to retaliate. They just shrugged it off, and attacked again. Poo swiped with the Sword of Kings, but that didn't hurt, as it just grabbed the sword and sent it, and Poo, flying backwards. Mr. Saturn tried to headbutt, but they didn't even recognise he was there. Jeff shot his Gaia beam. But no matter what they did, nothing affected him. Meanwhile Dr. Andonuts, dodging his attacks, was slowly wondering about the two bodies.they always seemed to be an appropriate distance from each other, but they never moved separately. Suddenly he saw light gleam of a space between the two. A tube? A tube! "There's a tube between them!" Dr. Andonuts shouted. "Attack that and they'll lose their invincibility!" Doing as he said, Poo made a single slide and backflip while holding his sword directly in front of him, severing the tube while preventing himself from being hit. Suddenly the two guards began to stagger, and kneel down, becoming weaker and weaker. It seemed they shared a life support. Without it, they'd live, but they'd be much weaker. Paula retaliated by a PSI Fire. It incinerated them. Soon there were only smoking remains. Paula got her breath back, and began charging forward. "Congratulations, fools!" A huge voice boomed over the room. The voice of the Shadow Man. "I am impressed that you made it this far, but you will never even reach me, let alone defeat me! Hoohoohoohahaha!" "Oh yeah?!" Paula yelled into the thin dusty air. "Says WHO?!?" "Ah, the girl. Quite a feisty one, isn't she? No matter, she'll find out says who. My loyal and trustworthy servant, that's who! Go forth, and defeat that snivelling scum of an enemy!" Suddenly, a figure appeared. It was dark, but it seemed to be the size of a normal person. But anyone from the distance knew who it was. "No." Paula stammered, staring at the person in front of her. "No.it can't be!" This figure was wearing a baseball cap, and had a baseball bat in his hand. And a smile of bone-chilling evil.  
  
(A/N: YES!! Anyone want to take a guess at who THIS is? (3 guesses, and the first 2 don't count.) Now quite an climatic showdown was about to bubble. If you can't guess who the person is (shame on you!), you'll have to wait until next chapter! MWAHAHA!) 


	12. The Battle Beyond the Titans

Disclaimer - I do not own EarthBound or any EarthBound-related objects. I do own the Shadow Man, because he is not EarthBound-related.  
  
Chapter 12: The Battle Beyond the Titans  
  
Flashback From Previous Chapter:  
  
"Congratulations, fools!" A huge voice boomed over the room. The voice of the Shadow Man. "I am impressed that you made it this far, but you will never even reach me, let alone defeat me! Hoohoohoohahaha!" "Oh yeah?!" Paula yelled into the thin dusty air. "Says WHO?!?" "Ah, the girl. Quite a feisty one, isn't she? No matter, she'll find out says who. My loyal and trustworthy servant, that's who! Go forth, and defeat that snivelling scum of an enemy!" Suddenly, a figure appeared. It was dark, but it seemed to be the size of a normal person. But anyone from the distance knew who it was. "No." Paula stammered, staring at the person in front of her. "No.it can't be!" This figure was wearing a baseball cap, and had a baseball bat in his hand. And a smile of bone-chilling evil.  
  
***Flashback ends***  
  
(A/N: In this chapter, Ness is sometimes referred to as (Ness?) because of the uncertainty if this is Ness.)  
  
(Ness?) stood in front of his friends, completely changed to the core. Evil as evil. "What have you done?!" Paula screamed. "He saw the light.or rather, the darkness, and realised the error of his ways, I suppose.hehehe." "No.NESS!!" Paula screamed at (Ness?) (Ness?) simply said "I will only fight the strongest of you." He simply raised his hand and said "PSI Rockin' Omega". The attack blew back everyone. Except the one person who was determined over any to save Ness. Paula. "Humph. I see you are strongest to resist my attack. Very well, little girl. If you are the strongest, we shall begin the battle.  
  
***Battle Scene!***  
  
***cue dramatic (but not final) boss music here, whatever you think suits***  
  
Paula dodged around as (Ness?) threw lots of PSI Rockin' Alpha's at her. It took all she was worth. In the end, though, her anger rised and she actually deflected a PSI Rockin' Alpha back at (Ness?) with her Holy Frying Pan. It knocked him half sideways, but he got up. "Humph. PSI Flash Beta." (Ness?) then used. It startled Paula, but her confidence overcame it. "What?" Even (Ness?) seemed surprised. "No matter. I can dish out worse pain. PSI Rockin' Beta!" A PSI Rockin' Beta blew Paula off her feet, leaving Ness to dash in with his bat. Paula's instincts made her body fend it off with the Holy Frying Pan. "Your confidence and skill overwhelms me, young girl, but no-one can defeat me! PSI Rockin' Beta!" (Ness?) yelled This time though, Paula dodged it. "It's time to show you my own firepower! PSI Freeze Sigma!" (Ness?), not expecting this, was copped fully and actually frozen. Paula used this opportunity to whack at (Ness?) as much as she could. He soon broke free. "ARRRGH!" (Ness?) screamed. "Your insolence has cost you dearly! PSI Rockin' Sigma!!" Paula almost ran up the wall in order to get away from it. She charged and hit (Ness?) as hard as she could in the head. "Grrr! Head injuries are no match for me! DIE!! PSI Flash Sigma!" However, Paula's confidence again overcame it. "What?! This girl is immune to PSI Flash Sigma?! Impossible! But you will DIE! DIE!! DIE!!!" (Ness?) screamed running up to Paula, and scoring a home run on her head. She flew to the side and conked out. "HAHAHA! You all fall under the mighty spell of Trigas! If you will not join, you will die! Prepare.for your ultimate.loss!" Ness held his hands up. At the same time, Paula regained consciousness. "PSI." Energy started crackling at (Ness?)'s fingertips. Suddenly, an odd figure came into view. "Princess?" Paula looked closer, and indeed, it was the Princess. "Rockin'. "I have travelled with you in shadow. In our darkest hour, it is time to reveal my light. PSI Reflect Shield Omega!" "Omega!!!" A shield came over Paula and the Princess, shielding them from the danger. (Ness?) threw, but failed to realise that shield before he'd thrown it. His attack bounced off the shield back at him, and hit him square in the face. "ARRRRGH!! No one makes a fool out of Ness!! BE GONE, FOOL!" (Ness?) actually crashed through the shield. Paula ducked, but the Princess was whacked backwards into the corridor. Paula couldn't believe it! The girl who had just saved her had been whacked 50 metres backwards. Paula started to get angry.very angry.so unbelievably angry with this.this thing that had taken Ness. The power of PSI Freeze peaked.and overflew, as her power went beyond normal. "What?! The girl is going crazy! I must kill her before she uses that power! PSI." But before (Ness?) could finish, Paula put her hands in front of her and yelled enough to raise the roof. "PSI Glacial Freeze Omega!!!" A huge glacier swept down from nowhere and almost literally buried Ness. The glacier surrounded him, and the coldness easily damaged him beyond belief. He was frozen, but only for a while. ***End Battle Scene***  
  
"Why." Paula asked herself, "Why won't Ness come back to us?" She thought as hard as she could. "I've done everything I can to save him, but he won't return! What can I do now?! Now that every option has been used?!?" A low moaning sound echoed throughout the entire room. It seemed to remind Paula of something. "No.there is one more option.it seems like it won't work, but without any other options, what have I got to lose?" Paula knelt down and prayed. "Please!" she yelled as loud as she could. "Please aid us! We need help, we need strength, and we need care! Anyone who can hear us, give us aid! Please save Ness!" Power ruptured through Paula's hands and broke (Ness?)'s prison. "Hoohoohoohahaha! You have released me, young Paula! What have you to say now?!" "You.you remembered my name." Paula said, shocked at the fact. "ACK!?! But what difference does it make, Paula, you'll still be dead." A moaning sound went around the room, as if trying to ask for help. Paula again lent down, with (Ness?) just bursting out laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! That's rich! You kneel to God, your last hope? Or do you kneel to Trigas, Supreme Ruler of the Universe?" Ignoring (Ness?)'s laughs, Paula just screamed, "ANYONE!! ANYONE WHO CAN HEAR ME!! HELP ME! HELP NESS! HELP US ALL! GIVE US THE STRENGTH TO BREAK THE CURSE!" Power again ruptured through Paula's hands, and floated in a tiny white sphere against her. "HAHAHAHAHA! You expect to defeat me with a tiny white sphere?! Now I've seen it all!" Suddenly, another tiny white sphere ran into it. Then another tiny white sphere ran into them. And another. And another. And another. And another. These seven spheres were nothing else but the goodness of the party from earlier. Though they could not aid in the battle, they could offer their good will for aid. "What? What is this?" (Ness?) looked puzzled at the white sphere, as if he didn't know what it was. Suddenly, a light beam shone out of it. It shone onto the floor, then slowly went forward until it shone onto (Ness?)'s foot. He screamed. The pain of this light was unbearable. It shone up his leg, and into his heart. He screamed until he turned blue. Paula stood back, horrified at the scene. (Ness?) was screaming, as the ball moved closer and closer to him, he screamed louder, as if trying to release his pain through his vocality. Paula could do nothing but stare, as the ball finally touched (Ness?) and covered him. He basically screamed murder, but the moaning voice around the room stopped. The rest of the party had finally managed to reach Paula, but she never noticed. The ball of light however, after minutes of (Ness?)'s agonizing torture, is disappeared, and (Ness?) crumpled to the ground. Paula ran over to him. "Paula?" (Ness?) asked. She replied with a frying pan to the head.' "Damn it Trigas!! How long do I have to suffer with Ness as evil as he is?!" "Ouch.uh.Paula?" Ness asked, in a more normal tone. "I'll never forgive you, Trigas!!! I'll kill you myself, for making the only one person I love under YOUR control!!" Ness slowly walked behind the raging Paula, in a fit of worry and anger. Ness simply said, "I never knew you thought that way about me." Paula simply turned around and yelled, "Well, you should have!! And." She took a closer look. Ness just managed a goofy grin and a shrug. This time Paula replied by hugging him, and kissing him on the cheek at basically the same time. She never noticed the group behind her, giving smiles. "Paula? What's got into you? Was it something I said?" Ness asked. "No, it's pretty much several things you've done." Paula replied. "Awww.isn't that sweet?" Jeff asked. Paula instantly rocketed into the air. "Oh, for God's sake!" Ness yelled at him. "You just scared her onto the roof! .You saw everything that happened, didn't you?" Everyone nodded. "BOO!" yelled something behind Ness, causing him to rocket into the air. "That was amazing, Paula! I've not seen even Ness manage a power like that!" Poo stated, complimentary. "You must have achieved a power rating beyond anything I've ever seen!" Dr. Andonuts stated. "Hmmm." Jeff thought aloud. "Ness should be reaching the ground right about." A huge whump nearby echoed through the hall. ".now." "Oh, hahaha. Very funny." Ness moaned. "I'm glad you saw it my way!" Paula replied. "Well, I don't think that we have the time for pleasantries, it's time to move on and defeat Trigas!" Ness boldly led the way. "There's no way he's getting away with this. I'll make sure he's dead!" Paula charged forth." "This idiot is trying to destroy the scientific universe! If he does that, he'll have to get past me!" Jeff hurried after them. "Since I met these people, I would go to the ends of the earth to make sure they stay safe. Now I am about to go there, but I'm not afraid. Here I come!!" Poo stealthily ran forward. "Boing! Mr. Saturn must free other Mr. Saturn's! Can help destroy Universal Destroyer thing, ZOOM!" Mr. Saturn bounced along. "My scientific genius proves that we're doomed, but my beliefs say we can do it." Dr. Andonuts boldly jogged along. "Trigas has betrayed his younger brother, and my ally, Giygas! Either he or me is going down!" Pokey ran forward. "I now understand these people's true plight. I will do my best to aid them." The Princess followed after wards.  
  
Meanwhile, in the Shadow Man's chamber.  
  
"WHAT?!!?!" The Shadow Man yelled. "They've FREED him?! He was my LAST defence! Now I must face him alone." "But sir!" the huge army yelled behind him, "We must help you destroy the Apple of Enlightment's Chosen Four!" "I said now I must face him ALONE!" The Shadow man yelled, waving his hand and destroying every one of his guards. "The true battle, shall now begin. I, Trigas, master of all, shall destroy them! Giygas! I shall become one with you!  
  
(A/N: The final battle is coming! With the Chosen One's reunited, the only obstacle is the evil Shadow Man. Can they finally defeat him and save the world? Or will Trigas defeat them, and smite the universe? You can at least review and urge me to continue this story.) 


	13. Shadow Man's Last Resort

Disclaimer - I own the Shadow Man and the Princess. I half-own Trigas, because he is not legally mine, but not legally anyone's. I do not own anything in the game of EarthBound.  
  
Chapter 13: Shadow Man's Last Resort  
  
The Shadow Man paced his quarters. Those fools were approaching him fast and he had to do something. But he couldn't. He could do nothing. The Evil One's last prophecy said he must battle. He could do nothing but that. He prepared for the fight.  
  
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the labyrinth.  
  
Ness and his friends ran forward. With Ness around, the enemies simply bolted to the side. They didn't want anything to do with him. They soon saw the door that led to there. But instantly, it closed as soon as they were there. "The Shadow Man knows he can't keep us out with a door. So why is he doing this?" Ness thought aloud. "FOOLS!" the booming voice of the Shadow Man roared through the speakers. Everyone jumped at that. "I myself have a prophecy, that of the Evil One. This door cannot keep you out. I am getting ready." "Huh?" asked Paula. "I, Trigas, or as you know me, the Shadow Man, have honour in my evilness. Allow me to get my costume and I'll face you." Everyone sweat-dropped. The doors soon opened. "Come, and face your most terrifying enemy!" said a voice, not the speakers, but real, this time. Ness and his friends walked in, awaiting the Shadow Man. "Hoohahaha!" the Shadow Man laughed. "Now you've chosen your doom? Or will you kneel to Trigas? I give you one final chance to kneel to the Universal Destroyer, or be destroyed as easily as this universe is blown to smithereens!" Ness boldly said, "We'll never kneel as long as we're alive!" "Then DIE!!" the Shadow Man yelled, his long black cape blowing in the air as he ran forward. Suddenly, Pokey caught something out of his eye. "Giygas?!" He quickly ran over to the mist, where Giygas was in sight. "Humph. Giygas shall only be let out when he fuses with me. He'll never break that lock. Now get ready to DIE!!"  
  
***Battle Scene***  
  
*cue dramatic final boss music*  
  
The Shadow Man simply jumped up. "Over our time while I've been training, I have been focusing myself to the ultimate power of PSI. At last, the time has come to show you the highest power of any human form!" (Human form?) Ness thought to himself, (that information might still come in handy...) "Prepare.to.DIE!!! P.S.I.Charge.OMEGA!!!" Suddenly a huge aura surrounded the Shadow Man. He started glowing a light red, as power surged into him. "This is my ultimate power, Ness! Now prepare yourself.for HELL'S GRASP!" Ness ran up and smashed him with the Legendary Bat. The effect was zip. "Not again!" Ness cried. "We need a new strategy!" "Hahaha! You want a new strategy?" the Shadow Man laughed, "Kneel to Trigas!" "And it does NOT include THAT!!" "Very well. Your death is of no concern to the mighty Universal Destroyer. And when I play, I play HARD! Prepare for your death! PSI Rockin' Omega!' "WHAT THE." Ness stood right in front of his own attack, ducking as the mighty blast went sailing over the head. It burnt some of his hair. "Now that just isn't nice!" Ness yelled. "Here you go! PSI Rockin' Omega!" The PSI Rockin' Omega went sailing through the air right into the Shadow Man's face. He smiled and raised his hand. "PSI Warp!" A huge black hole appeared in front of the Shadow Man's hand and the attack went sailing into it. Lost in the eternal space. The warp simply closed. "Darn it! Why won't he let himself get hurt?! There has to be a.OOF!" Ness yelled as an attack from the Shadow Man made him go sailing into the wall. "NESS!!" Paula screamed. "Don't worry.I'm fine." Ness managed to get out, then dropped unconscious. "And this is the Ness who defeated my younger brother? Ha! I'll exterminate him! "Never!" Paula screamed, whanging her fry pan at the evil man. Although it did nothing, it managed to stop him.  
  
***Temporary End Battle Scene***  
  
Ness meanwhile, had slipped deeper into unconsciousness. "Ness!" a voice called through the eternal realm of his mind. "That voice." Ness said to himself. ".where do I remember it?" "Jeez, I just have to do everything for you, don't I? Sheesh." Suddenly, a small insect flew out of the blackness, a small amount of light radiating from it. ".Buzz Buzz?" "Sorry to get crabby there, kid. I just got tired of that 'Where do I remember that voice?' thing. Yeah, it's me. How you doing?" "Not too well," Ness replied, "since I'm unconscious, my friends are doing all heck to make sure I'm not eliminated without themselves getting eliminated, and we're all basically doomed." "Ah, that is the beauty of friends.anyway, the unconscious bit is actually good. I'm going to teach you a couple of new tricks, since it looks like you're going to need them." "What? You know PSI Charge?" Ness remarked, sarcastically. "Actually, yes, and if you want to have half a chance of saving your skin, you'd better listen to me. Now, remember back to the beginning of the battle?" "Yes." "Now, to do that, you have to focus your PSI power as hard as you can. I hope you're ready, because we're going to go straight past PSI Charge Alpha and straight to Omega. This is going to be one heck of a challenge, so get ready. 


	14. The Shadow Defeated

Disclaimer - I own the Shadow Man, and the Princess. I own no-one else. I hope these disclaimers end soon, sigh...  
  
Chapter 14: The Shadow Defeated  
  
Shadow Man looked forward at Ness, looking shocked. Ness looked back looking defiant.  
  
"H.h.how...? Only...I could achieve...this power..." The Shadow Man simply looked at Ness, babbling in his speech.  
  
"Then you obviously didn't watch enough cartoons. Remember? GOOD WINS OVER EVIL. You can't do jack, but come on. Face me anyway. I want to see this happen." Ness simply replied.  
  
Suddenly the Shadow Man brought out a huge sword from nowhere and began belting on Ness with it. Ness simply brought his bat up to the attacks, jumped back at times, and kept blocking his attacks with his bat, which didn't even splinter. The Shadow Man was charging at Ness while Ness was dodging back with not the full use of his power. The Shadow Man got a strike in on his face. Everybody watched in pain, but the Shadow Man looked on it with glee. His expression changed to unbelieving as he realised that it had done absolutely jack squat.  
  
"My, Shadow Man, we're missing something now, hey? You decided to use your power and try to kill us; I'm using mine to kill you. Now...EAT SUPERCHARGED WOOD!!"  
  
Ness began swinging his bat like it was little more than a feather duster to him. He dodged every single swipe of his opponent's sword and still managed to belt the Shadow Man stupid. The Shadow Man realised this was a losing battle, and he needed a bargaining chip. And out of his eye, he saw the perfect target.  
  
The Shadow Man quickly dodged back and grabbed Paula, sword to neck. "Stop, Ness! Or I'll kill her! I'll kill your girlfriend! I'll blow her body into a million pieces even YOU won't be able to fix her from!" the Shadow Man yelled at Ness. Ness stopped in his tracks, his bat about to swing.  
  
"No! Ness! Don't listen to him! You have to save the world! No, the universe! Even if it is without me..." Paula yelled at Ness.  
  
"Now Ness, listen to me carefully..." the Shadow Man taunted Ness. "Come out of PSI Charge Omega and drop your bat, and I'll leave her alone."  
  
"NESS! Don't do it!" Paula screamed, but Ness wouldn't listen.  
  
Ness dropped his bat, falling with a clatter onto the ground, and he powered down, his eyes stopping glowing.  
  
"NESS!!" Paula screamed as loud as she could. "NO!!!!"  
  
"Fine, I've done it." Ness said. "Now keep your promise, and leave the girl alone."  
  
For some reason, the Shadow Man actually did that, and left Paula alone, Paula almost crying with shame.  
  
"Come away from her! Fully! If you want to fight an unfair fight, do it with at least SOME dignity!"  
  
Since the Shadow Man thought it couldn't hurt, he did so.  
  
"Oh, Shadow Man, before I go, one last thing." Ness said to Shadow Man.  
  
"What?"  
  
A smirk on Ness' face appeared. "You just realise that you've made the stupidest mistake of your life, I presume, right?  
  
"Wha...?"  
  
Ness automatically recharged back into PSI Charge Omega.  
  
"...GGGAAAHHHHH!!!!! HOW DID YOU DO...OOFF!!!" Shadow Man never finished that sentence as Ness' bat, glowing again, swung full force into his head, knocking him across the floor.  
  
"Now, you've fought unfair, tried to kill my friends, and win this out? I think it's time to finish this game you and I have fought, Trigas. Once and for all."  
  
The boy stretched his arms behind him. Power seeped into them as an energy attack formed through.  
  
"...PSI SUPER ROCKIN' ALPHA!!!!"  
  
Ness shot the energy beam forward and it rocketed right into the Shadow Man. If his bat alone can do that much damage. The PSI Super Rockin' (which is an upgraded version of the PSI Rockin') will hurt, and it will HURT!!  
  
The Shadow Man watched his last glimpse of life as the attack blew into him, and knocked him into the air with pain. He landed on his stomach and faced the floor for a few minutes. Ness simply stared at him. Then the Shadow Man got up falling to his knees, and vomiting up blood. Soon, he fell over, and that seemed to be that.  
  
Everyone celebrated. "ALRIGHT! SHADOW MAN IS FINALLY GONE!" Jeff yelled out, punching air in celebration. "It's over..." the Princess murmured. "It's finally over..." "I wish." Everyone turned at Ness, who'd just said that. "Why do you say that? Shadow Man is dead!" Poo asked him. "Shadow Man is dead, indeed. But there is something amiss. I can feel it. There's something not right...  
  
Why does Ness feel something is not right? Is Shadow Man really dead? Is this the end? YOU BET IT'S NOT! Watch as the story reaches it's ULTIMATE climax! Watch out for the final chapter of EarthBound: The Attack of the Shadow Man! 


	15. The Greatest Battle, the Battle Universe...

Disclaimer - I own nothing in this that I haven't already said. I own the Shadow Man and the Princess. I own nothing else. Thank you, come again.  
  
Last chapter provided the climax; Ness finally defeats the Shadow Man. Everyone starts celebrating in their spots, but Ness feels there isn't something right. What was it that Ness felt? Was there something he missed with the Shadow Man? Find out, in this ultimate climax, in the final chapter of EarthBound: The Attack of the Shadow Man!  
  
Oh, and Robin, 'writer's block?' No, it's more the horrible 'can't be stuffed to upload a chapter' laziness thing, but you'll all forgive me right?  
  
Warning: This is going to be the longest chapter in the entire story, this contains the entire events of the last battle with Trigas.  
  
Chapter 15: The Greatest Battle, the Battle Universebound:  
  
"Something isn't right..." Ness thought Ness looked at the Shadow Man. He was lying there, on his side, presumably dead. "If the Shadow Man is dead, why do I feel something missing?" Ness thought. "Trigas! What mockery are you planning!" Ness yelled. Then, in a blinding flash of memory it all came to him. He finally understood. "I don't believe it.the Shadow Man was merely a cover for the ultimate trap? It can't be!" Ness was staring at the Shadow Man, lying there unconscious. 'IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE FINALLY ENTERED THE REALIZATION ZONE, EARTHBOUND FOOL!' Everyone looked around, but the voice didn't come from Shadow Man or from the speakers. It seemed to come from within the Shadow Man himself 'YES, EARTHBOUND ONE, THAT THEY CALL 'NESS'. THE SHADOW MAN WAS MERELY A COVER FOR MY ULTIMATE FORM!' Everyone looked with horror at the voice coming from within Shadow Man. 'BUT NESS, I CONGRATULATE YOU. YOU HAD MORE POWER THAN I THOUGHT IF YOU COULD BEAT THE SHADOW MAN AT FULL POWER WITH YOUR FULL POWER. IT HAS SOMETHING EVEN I DIDN'T RECOGNISE. THE POWER OF TRUE FORM. THE POWER I HAVE HIDDEN FROM YOU FOR ALL TIME. THIS WAS A BODY I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO KEEP, BUT NOW IT IS GONE, BEYOND REPAIR.' The Shadow Man started to glow with an awesome power. 'NOW, NESS! STEP FORTH! MY TRUE POWER WILL BE UNLEASHED! THE FORM BEYOND ALL! I AM NO LONGER THE SHADOW MAN... I...AM...TRIGAS!!!!!!!! The black mist from before began to seep out of the Shadow Man's body. This time, it just stayed out while the Shadow Man lied there, unconscious of all. The black mist tried to take shape. It took the shape of a man in the end (the black mist looked in the shape of a man, it wasn't actually a man). It leered at Ness, and at everyone. 'I...AM...TRIGAS!!!!!!!!' It repeated, 'I...AM THE ULTIMATE...DESTROYER! THE SHADOW MAN WAS A WEAKNESS TO MY FORM, A FORM I COULD DEFEAT YOU WITH, AND HAVE EVERYONE KNOW AND FEAR. BUT NOW, YOU WENT AND BLEW THAT PLAN ALL DOWN THE DRAIN. I HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH POWER TO DESTROY YOUR UNIVERSE, NESS, AND YOURS, EARTHBOUND ONES!!!!' Trigas yelled, pointing at the others. 'NOW, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS GAME! IT MUST END, LIKE YOU SAID, NESS! GET READY! THE ULTIMATE BATTLE BEGIN NOW! YOU...NOW...DIE!!!!!!!!' Trigas formed a sword and did a slash and Ness with it. Ness blocked it, but this time he had to work harder (Ness is still in his PSI Charge Form, and with this, I believe they're both even) and a heated battle occurred. The rest of Ness' friends are, like true, loyal, helpful friends (note sarcasm), standing there watching Ness fight Trigas. It was something to see, so it's no wonder they're just standing there. A blast of PSI Energy was hurled between the two occasionally, and otherwise they were just belting each other with their weapons. Power flowed between the two and you couldn't see anything. "PSI Super Rockin' Alpha!" Ness yelled as the blast slammed into Trigas, "Destructive Blast of Doom!" Trigas yelled back and the blast stung Ness heavily. Had he not been in PSI Charge Omega that would have easily killed him. Ness swung underneath and hit Trigas 'stomach' with his bat, while he received a sword to the face for his efforts. Both realised that the battle was going nowhere. Both needed some help. And Trigas spotted it in a cage near-by the corner. Pokey also spotted it. He was looking at Giygas, trapped in the cage and unable to do anything. "CRUD! We've got a major problem here...guys? WAKE UP, DAM IT!!!" Everybody (apart from Ness, Trigas and Shadow Man) looks at Pokey. "Trigas is going to try to fuse with Giygas! If that happens, there's no way Ness can beat him?" "Well what do you expect us to do?" "There is...something you can do..." Everybody turned, including Ness, and Trigas, their battle momentarily stopped for a while. The Shadow Man, rose to his knees, regaining consciousness, and smiling. "I know who you think I am. Just some mere body possessed by Trigas. But that isn't true. I am a person, Ness." The Shadow Man could barely stand up, but he did, and he looked Ness right in the eyes as he did it. The boy was smaller, he seemed as small as Ness now. "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you, Ness. I didn't mean to do what I did. But this stupid ghost possessed me. He cocked up a small ball of PSI Energy, and threw it in Trigas general direction, receiving unbelieving stares from everyone (they thought that it was only Trigas using his PSI Energy inside the boy). "I've caused you despair and doom. And Mr. Saturn, don't worry, the other Mr. Saturn's are safe. But I have to do my last will. You can't all stay here. A few can, but you, Mr. Saturn, and you, Dr. Andonuts, must leave. You too, Pokey. There is nothing more you can do here. I am sorry to separate you from your friends, but you being here will only be another target for Trigas. "How dare you! I can defend myself quite fine, Shadow Man!" The boy took a chuckle to this. "Hmmm, Dr. Andonuts, I know you can defend yourself, but there is little you or Mr. Saturn can do against the great and evil Trigas. And I'm ashamed that you don't realise. I am not the Shadow Man. I never had been, and I never will be. I'm sorry to do this." The boy threw PSI Energy at Dr. Andonuts, Mr. Saturn and Pokey. It didn't hurt them, however, but they de-materialized. "Ness, they've been sent back to Saturn Valley. The rest of you, YOU CAN DO SOMETHING HERE. You must will your energy on Ness. The more power within him, the more ability he has to defeat Trigas. All can do something, but it's with you the power lies. I'm sorry, Ness. There's nothing more I can help you with. Only one thing. The boy opened the cage and let Giygas out. Then he jumped on Giygas back, Giygas not struggling to do anything. "I'm sorry, Ness, I wish I could have gotten to know you better, my only kin. But now I must part from this world. It was meant to be. Good- bye.........brother........." "Brother?!" Ness yelled, "WAIT!!" But nothing he could do would stop the boy reaching his goal. ".PSI Starball Suicide!!!" All the PSI he had in his entire life came out from him, causing him pain like nothing before. The thing came out Giygas, and everything in it was shocked to death. Giygas was killed as soon as the blast descended. "SHADOW MAN!!" Ness yelled, in despair. He ran over to the boy, who looked at Ness, with a smile on his face. "No, brother. I am not the Shadow Man. I never was. Forgive me, Ness. The boy fell over and collapsed. "NO!! YOU MUSN'T DIE!!! DAMN IT!!!" Ness screamed, spewing random vulgarities. Everyone was staring at him like he'd sawn just sawn off somebody's head. He suddenly turned and faced Trigas with so much hate in his eyes it seemed like the fires of hell themselves were burning in his eyes. "You...YOU!!!! GGGAAHHHHHH!!!!" Ness let out an almost un-earthly scream and ran towards Giygas like a man gone mad. He got out his bat and simply whacked the evil thing like it was the end of the world, which it would be if Trigas weren't defeated. "WHOA!" Jeff was amazed, "This power scanner shows that Ness has the advantage! And by the looks of it, it'll be enough to kill Trigas!" Everybody saw indeed that Ness had the advantage by far. They turned back to the battle, Paula first. "Please, Ness...you have to succeed for us all..." Paula willed silently. "Not again! Please tell me WHAT THE HECK YOU'RE DOING SITTING AROUND WAITING FOR NOTHING?!" a voice erupted in Paula's mind. "W...Who's that?" Paula thought. "It's me again, Buzz Buzz. And stop with the over-dramatic thing, it's really annoying at these times. And haven't you noticed? Ness, even if he is going medieval on Trigas butt, is not going to be able to keep this up forever. Trigas is getting more and more powerful. You have to help him eventually. I'm leaving you with that remark. Now you must decide what to do. Goodbye." Buzz Buzz's voice faded out. Paula just stood there staring at Ness.  
  
Meanwhile, Ness was having a difficult time taking out Trigas, now Trigas had charged to his full power, to keep up with Ness, and they were even in power. Ness couldn't look cooler as many PSI Super Rockin' Alpha attacks came blasting into Trigas. Nothing was working, and the giant wouldn't be stopped. And Ness was starting to tire. He knew that well. But he kept on fighting. And it was so even it seemed neither was getting a scratch. Nothing was working as the two battled for what seemed like ages. With the battle, time and reality itself began to slip away, the world becoming a starry background as the two fought with nothing else anywhere.  
  
Everyone could see Ness was beginning to tire, but Trigas wasn't (typical plotline, huh?). Only Paula was actually thinking along the lines of Buzz Buzz. Suddenly, something in her mind simply snapped. She wheeled around behind and quickly yelled out, "WHY AREN'T WE DOING ANYTHING?!!" She quickly ran into the fray before they could say anything. "Jeez, I am stupid for doing this, but who cares?" Jeff rushed off after her, followed by Poo. The Princess just stood back and looked at them. "The danger is always extreme, but they'll do it. I cannot do anything here. I can only sit back and watch.  
  
Ness only blocked a swing from Trigas sword in time to see three characters run into and attack Trigas. He couldn't look for long. Trigas was simply attacking again. Ness noticed though he was trying to attack behind him. Without time to wonder why, he kept whacking Trigas stupid. Being unable to hit from behind and in front of the same time, he suffered the full blow of the crazily powered Legendary Bat. It quickly brought him to his knees. The three attacking from behind also annoyed him greatly. Trigas could take one on, but he was falling to the Chosen Four. Suddenly, it sheathed its sword and grabbed Ness by the neck. It then faced the others behind it and triumphantly shouted, "HAH! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW? THIS TIME I HAVE NESS, AND HE'S AS GOOD AS DEAD UNLESS YOU DO WHAT I SAY! GET AWAY FROM MY BACK SO I CAN FACE HIM IN HONOURABLE COMBAT!" "Honourable?" Jeff figuratively threw the words out of his mouth. "HONOURABLE?! You wouldn't know honourable if your life depended on it! You took Ness' brother, tried to get him to kill Ness, caused world destruction, kidnapped Giygas himself, YES, GIYGAS HIMSELF, in order to destroy the world, and now you say you want an HONOURABLE match?!" "WHO'S MORE IMPORTANT? YOU THREE, OR NESS? MAKE UP YOUR MIND!" Ness remained silent. He just stared at open space and looked gallant, even when he was being choked to death. He stared there, still in his PSI Charge Form. He knew death was coming to him. He looked down for his last look at his friends, Jeff, Poo, and...Paula. As the thought of the entire adventures he'd had with her came back to his mind, a tear rolled down his cheek, and then he went into death, his eyes shutting for the last time.  
  
Paula stood looking up at Ness. She'd seen his last tear rolling down his cheek...for her. And now all she loved had gone to waste. Ness was dead, and the world was doomed. It seemed impossible to believe. Trigas simply laughed and threw the dead body over his soldier into the wall. He then faced the other three, knowing he could easily defeat them. Jeff and Poo, ran for their life (not because they wanted to leave Paula to do that, but if you were faced with certain death by murder, what would you do?). Paula didn't run. She faced Trigas herself, her eyes level with Trigas. And then she let out the most horrendous scream that everyone who heard never forgot, "NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" All the rage in Paula's mind at seeing Ness die was let out in that one scream. A power unknown began to work on Paula's mind, and she began to overflow with power. It rushed through every vein of her body, and soon an incredible change came over her. She was glowing with power, her eyes and her frying pan. And it looked like she had more then enough energy to spend as she faced the evil thing.  
  
Paula gripped her Holy Frying Pan in one hand and went medieval on Trigas. Trigas couldn't understand her speed and power, and he couldn't hit the girl either as she was almost invisible with speed and more than a match for Trigas. Trigas understood that he couldn't do this. He grabbed his sword and swung at Paula, but Paula simply dodged it, ran beside, and swung. "NO MORE FUN AND GAMES! NOW YOU MUST TASTE MY FULL POTENTIAL!!" Trigas absorbed power like it was the end of the world. The Trigas became an oversized, muscled man, and now had power equal to Paula. The two began battling, much like Ness and Trigas had done before. Jeff and Poo looked at Paula. She was doing a good job, but would she perish, just like Ness? It seemed inevitable that no matter what they did, Death would claim them. Poo said, "Well, this is the end, I guess. Ness is dead, Paula will probably die just like Ness, and we'll be dead, the world is doomed. "Oh well," Jeff sighed, "At least we had fun, got to know each other better. Ness really was a great guy. But it had to be Paula. "Yes," Poo nodded in agreement, "Paula had to have loved him. There was no bond stronger than those two together. Anyone with half a brain could have seen it. "Did she...love...me?" An unknown voice asked from behind them, but nobody recognised someone else was speaking. "Yep, she really loved you, Ness, and this battling is for you. Even in death she still loves you. "She...loves...me?" That unknown voice inquired again. "Yes, my friend, Ness, she loved you with all her heart. It pained her greatly to see you go. You are the only reason we still have a small hope of winning." "Then...I...can't...let...her...down..." the unknown voice struggled to get out. "Wait a minute........WHAT THE HECK?!!" Both shouted out as they looked behind him at the pile of rubble that buried Ness. Or had, anyway. There, standing in front of the pile of rubble, breathing heavily, still in PSI Charge form, was none other than Ness. "She did this...all for me...I won't let her down! I'M COMING, PAULA!!!" Ness yelled as he rushed back into the fighting.  
  
Paula had not noticed anything, and suddenly Trigas felt a pain equal to Paula's in his back. He looked back, and received a smash from Paula's frying pan and Ness's legendary bat at the same time. This couldn't go on. Trigas knew he was defeated. Trigas fell to his knees, letting the pain overwhelm him. "I...misjudged you...you are much stronger, together, than apart. I...underestimated your power. But you are the Chosen Four, and I now know that my prophecy cannot come to pass. I accept defeat. Finish me off." "PSI GLACIAL FREEZE OMEGA!!!" Paula yelled "PSI SUPER ROCKIN' OMEGA!!!" Ness yelled, at exactly the same time as Paula. The two greatest attacks slammed into Trigas. "I may have failed, but Giygas is still alive! One day, he'll be back. But I'm finished. I congratulate you. You have potential I have never seen. Good luck in the future, Chosen Four." An honourable speech came from Trigas, before he was utterly destroyed. Paula laughed happily, and then collapsed into unconsciousness. Ness walked over, picked her up, and silently told the others that they were going back home. And thus, the Shadow Man's base remained until the end of time undisturbed. The show isn't over yet. The Epilogue is still approaching! But this is the last chapter of the adventure. The war against the Shadow Man is now over.  
  
Wait until the Epilogue, if you want to see some special stuff (there may be some romance, but remember, it's G, possibly PG, so if you want anything...more hardcore, change to R.)  
  
The End...  
  
For Now...  
  
And thanks to all who reviewed this fanfiction! Soon as I get everything ready I'll make sure to add all your names in the epilogue. 


	16. Epilogue

Disclaimer - And here is the weather report...what the heck? WHO'S MESSING AROUND WITH THE DISCLAIMER?! *Throws things at certain people in the back* ...Okay, here is the disclaimer. I own nothing of Earthbound. That is made by Squaresoft. If you have never played any of their games, you are missing out on something extreme. I do own The Shadow Man (also known as Ness' brother, RIP), half-own Trigas, because someone else came up with that name, I think. I own the Princess, Poo's sister.  
  
The Shadow Man's time on Earth has ended, and so has Trigas. And now, after a long battle, Paul is unconscious, Ness is weakened though alive, and everybody is journeying home, however Ness has one more stop to make (and just remember, since this is G, possibly PG, there won't be anything over- rated, so if you're looking for that, trying changing the thing to R. Thank you for listening.)  
  
Epilogue: The Way Back Home  
  
It seemed a welcome relief to get back to the surface. The five adventurers (Dr. Andonuts, Mr. Saturn, and Pokey had been sent back earlier) were breathing fresh air. Well, four were anyway, Paula was still unconscious, and she was being carried by (yep, you guessed it) Ness. They continued down the road, smiling, because the end of the world had been cancelled for a good few hundred thousand years. Poo silently whispered to Jeff, "It's amazing what simple love can do..." Jeff replied, quietly, so as not to get Ness into the conversation, "Yeah, and just think, I wonder how he feels now he finally knows the truth?" "This ought to be humourous, if only we could see it." "What do you mean, Poo?" Poo gained a mischievous smirk on his face. "We should leave the two lovers alone." "What? Awwww...but I wanted to see..." "Hey!" Ness shouted from up front. "What's going on back there?" "Nothing..." Jeff and Poo stated, then simply went to the guilty whistle (You know the one, I think anyway) Ness rolled his eyes and continued onwards. "Now do you see why we've gotta leave?" Poo whispered to Jeff. "Groan...alright..." The two silently teleported out, just as Ness (and the unconscious Paula) entered Twoson, to go to Paula's home, Polestar Preschool. Ness looked back behind him, and noticed that Jeff and Poo were gone. "Hey, where'd those two loons go? Ah well." Dismissing the fact, and of course, eyes mainly set on a girl carried across his shoulder, he quickly walked to Polestar Preschool. The note said,  
  
'Dear Paula,  
  
Sorry we aren't able to stay here, there's some special grocery shopping we have to do for the kids. They've been quite worried about where you've been. We knew you'd be back soon, so stay calm. Everything will be OK just as soon as we get back home.  
  
Love Mom and Dad  
  
P.S. Hurry up and get home! The Kids from Polestar Preschool"  
  
Ness smiled. If Paula were awake she'd love to see this, however, she was unconscious, so she wouldn't be seeing anything till she woke up. He quickly took Paula up to her room and closed the door behind him (A/N: For all you sick freaks out there, nothing R-rated happens behind these doors).  
  
Paula soon woke up. She murmured something about 'having a nice dream', and was about to go back to sleep when she remembered fully what had happened. She'd fainted in a strange room, and woke up in bed. That dream was so vivid that it couldn't have been a dream. She sat up in bed, wondering if anyone was watching her, and sweating like there was no tomorrow. Then she suddenly calmly walked over to the window, stuck her head out and said, "Ness, get down from there." A few seconds later, a red and yellow blur that looked like a human shirt fell down from the roof. That same blur jumped into the window (A/N: Don't ask. Please DON'T ask.) and into Paula's room. "How did you know it was me out there??" Ness asked, bewildered. "That spot never failed for 100 times!" "That's why I knew you were there." Paula explained. "Oh."  
  
(A/N: WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! THIS IS WHERE THE LOVE STUFF BEGINS! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, I DON'T CARE, GET TO THE BOTTOM! And also, I am putting a lot of effort into this part, so please excuse me if it's bad (And there is NO R-rated stuff) (Longest Author Note in the fic! Woo hoo!))  
  
Ness never seemed to take his eyes off Paula during that entire conversation, and Paula didn't take her eyes off Ness either. They seemed to be magnetized towards each other. And suddenly, in what seemed to take less then a second, they (wait for it, ladies and gentlemen.3.2.1.) put their lips together, and held each other in a strong embrace, both enjoying the kiss. The kiss seemed to take a long, long time (in reality, it lasted about 5 minutes), but it didn't seem long enough, as they immersed themselves in the kiss deeper and deeper. How long it lasted to them is a mystery forever known. They've never told anyone. When at the long last, they did finally separate. They stared each other for a few more minutes. Then Ness stepped away. The thing was, they both knew they'd enjoyed the kiss, and just stared at each other like something completely insane had just happened. Ness quietly murmured, "I have to go now". Then he kissed her again (much shorter this time, and ran. Paula just stared as he left. Then later she fell on the bed and went back to sleep, that kiss spinning around in her head.  
  
Ness was just running, tears in his eyes, when he stopped by a tree, sat down in it's shade, and cried. He just cried and cried until he couldn't understand what had happened, and then just quietly sobbed. "That kiss couldn't have been real." He thought, "But does she love me? If she kissed me, she has to! Then why do I feel so sad and alone?" He sat down and sobbed. "Because you have doubts, brother." A voice inside his head said. "Shadow Man?! Where are you!?" Ness yelled out, hoping he would come out. "I'm nowhere. I'm speaking to you telepathically." The Shadow Man talked calmly to his brother. "I don't understand. Why is it I don't think she loves me?" "You have doubts, brother, and all, especially you and Paula, know that. Although I'm no relationship explorer, I believe it's because you don't fully understand the prospect of what you're doing. But don't worry. Any half-wit can see that you love her, and she loves you. You saved her life. She saved yours. Together, you two destroyed Trigas."  
  
"She did?"  
  
"Weren't you listening to Jeff and Poo, OR ME?! WHAT DO I HAVE TO SAY TO GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD?! SHE.LOVES.YOU. YOU.LOVE.HER. It doesn't matter if you're not ready now. You will be one day, and then you'll both know the true meaning of true love. It doesn't matter."  
  
Suddenly, the Shadow Man's voice, broke into a song.  
  
"Well I don't show off, don't criticize.  
  
I'm just living by my own feelings.  
  
And I won't give in or compromise.  
  
'Cause I only have a steadfast heart of gold.  
  
I don't know why I can't lead though it might be tough  
  
But I ain't out of control, just living by my word.  
  
It doesn't matter, now what happens.  
  
I will never give up the fight.  
  
Long as the voice inside drives me to run and fight.  
  
It doesn't matter, who is wrong and who is right."  
  
Ness's shattered emotions started to put themselves together while the song was being sung. The music in it seemed to just drift into his head.  
  
"Well I don't look back, I don't need to.  
  
Time won't wait and I got so much to do.  
  
Where do I stop, now it's all a blur and so unclear,  
  
Well, I don't know, but I can't be wrong.  
  
It doesn't matter, now what happens,  
  
I will never, give up the fight.  
  
Long as the voice inside drives me to run and fight,  
  
Place all your bets on the one you think is right.  
  
Oh no, it doesn't matter, now what happens.  
  
I will never give up the fight.  
  
Long as the voice inside drives me to run and fight.  
  
It doesn't matter who is wrong and who is right.  
  
No, no, no, no.  
  
It doesn't matter!  
  
(Sonic's Theme (It Doesn't Matter) from Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. © Sega.)  
  
The rest of the music faded into a few humming notes. Ness jumped up, renewed with spirit. "Thank you, brother!" he yelled around him, then completed running back home. Up in the tree, a figure smiled. "I always knew that book on throwing your voice would be handy." Then he too, parted, going a different way.  
  
And then, the second adventure of the Chosen Four, with help, managed to defeat the evil Trigas. Although Giygas may return one day, for now it is the end of adventuring. (A little known fact is that Ness and Paula were happily married on this day, years in the future, but for now, they're still kids. But inside, they have the mind of adults.)  
  
And now, the story comes to a close, as the curtain closes on our heroes. But you can be sure, that there adventures are never over.  
  
THE END.  
  
For now.  
  
And now, to thank my reviewers. This is the section where all the people who reviewed get a special mention in this book, plus any Question's answered.  
  
The Review Guy: Thanks for all your words of wisdom. Keep on going well with your...er...reviews.  
  
Vivi239: Thanks for convincing me to get off my butt and post. The reviewers are the people who actually convince me something should be worth finishing. And no negative remarks so far!  
  
Aurin Taco: The one who made me realise about the way I had to type up stories to show readability properly. I hope I took your advice well!  
  
Masboy11(1?): The first who asked about the actual romance of the couple Paula and Ness. Was this what you were looking for? Hope you got what you wanted.  
  
Phil D. Roadruck: The dude who was one of the recent 'keep it up' reviews. Thanks dude!  
  
Robin: An anonymous reviewer who told me to keep fighting to the finish, and forgave me with the 'can't be stuffed to post another chapter' problem!  
  
And last but definitely not least  
  
YOU: For spending minutes of your precious time on earth to sit down and read this story. I hope you liked it.  
  
There's no questions? OK.  
  
Thank you for reading my fanfiction, and I hope to see people smile when they read my fanfiction (although I won't, I'm Australian and I believe most of you are American). I hope to see you reading another of my fanfictions.  
  
If you're a Nintendo fan, check out my other fanfiction - Mario: City of Dreams  
  
The Author - The D.J. C.J. 


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